The present invention relates to wheelbarrows and, more particularly, to a wheelbarrow with a self braking mechanism.
Wheelbarrows are widely used in the construction industry to transport materials on a construction site. Unloading a wheelbarrow typically involves tipping the wheelbarrow forward to dump the load contents from the front of the wheelbarrow. On level surfaces, a difficulty experienced during dumping is the forward movement of the wheelbarrow experienced as the handles of the wheelbarrow are lifted to accomplish the dumping due to the forward force vector on the wheelbarrow as the handles are lifted. The operator must restrain the wheelbarrow from rolling forward. As a result, the operator may lose control of the wheelbarrow, whereupon the wheelbarrow continues to move forward instead of tipping, risking damage to property and injury to others nearby. Additionally, once the wheelbarrow contents are dumped, the wheelbarrow may become unstable as it rests on the single axle wheel whereupon the wheelbarrow may roll backward or forward further risking injury to the operator.
When dumping on a forward sloping surface, the forward roll problem becomes worse. Yet more challenging is dumping the load contents on a reverse sloping surface, whereupon the wheelbarrow tends to roll towards the operator during dumping. To restrain the wheelbarrow tendency to roll forward during dumping, the operator may use a chock placed in front of the wheel such as a piece of lumber.
Prior art attempts to prevent or reduce the motion of the wheelbarrow during dump have been proposed including applying a brake. Previously proposed brake systems have been inadequate and have presented problems principally related to manipulating the brake activation mechanism during dumping and fouling of complex mechanisms by construction site debris.